Din Tai Fung, Nordstrom, Michael Mina eatery heading to Americana

By Tiffany Hsu

April 24, 2013 12:52 PM PT

Popular Taiwanese dumpling chain Din Tai Fung is growing increasingly upscale, with plans to open its fourth U.S. location at swanky Glendale shopping center the Americana at Brand.

In September, the eatery will bring its foodie favorite soup dumplings to Brand Boulevard, along with menu items such as pot stickers, noodles and truffle dumplings.

Din Tai Fung, which has about 80 locations in Asia, operates two shops in Arcadia and one in Seattle. Owner Frank Yang said the Glendale launch comes as Arcadia becomes “very packed.”

“We want to ease up on the crowds,” he said at the Americana on Wednesday. “And we have lots of clientele coming from the Westside. Glendale is closer to them.”

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The company is looking to open in more retail centers across the U.S. -– but only at higher-end locations. No strip malls, he said.

The Americana stop – featuring a “modern, zen interior” – will be roughly 6,900 square feet and seat 160 people, Yang said. He hopes that diners there will be more diverse.

“In Arcadia, 60% of customers are Asian,” he said. “We’re trying to bring our food to the mainstream. Hopefully more Americans will come.”

Yang was part of a coterie of business owners invited to the Americana on Wednesday by property owner Rick Caruso. In his large private suite, Caruso also announced the impending openings of a Nordstrom department store – along with its farm-to-table dining concept Bar Verde – as well a Bourbon Steak eatery from James Beard award-winning chef Michael Mina.

Bourbon Steak’s four restaurants are all in hotels. The Americana launch, set for early 2014, will be the chain’s first foray into a retail setting.

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